Ilia Topuria emulated on Saturday the rapid career trajectory of a prime Conor McGregor as a brutal succession of powerful left hooks were more than enough to put Max Holloway down and out for the first time in his glittering career. It all went down at the UFC 308 pay-per-view show at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, and Topuria’s statement win — one of the finest of the year — capped an extraordinary night of fights in the Middle East.
Watch the knockout right here:
Ilia Topuria in Complete Control Over Max Holloway
‘Finally, I get the knockout,’ Topuria said
“I caught him with many punches,” Topuria told the UFC commentator and former two-weight champion Dan Cormier on the ESPN broadcast.
“Exactly with that right hand, I felt it. I saw it in his face. He started making step backs, you don’t see that often in Max Holloway. That he makes step back. My corner told me keep pushing. This is what I did and finally I get the knockout.”
“Beating a legend like Max Holloway, it’s something that I couldn’t believe it,” Topuria said. “I’ve been following him my entire career, he inspires me … I hope I’m going to be a small portion of the example he’s been for me for the new generation.”
NAME | TOPURIA | HOLLOWAY |
Total strikes | 147 | 209 |
Strikes landed | 78 | 84 |
Accuracy | 53% | 40% |
Takedowns | 2/2 | 0/0 |
Knockdowns | 1 | 0 |
Having finished former champ Alexander Volkanovski and now Holloway in brilliant back-to-back bouts, Topuria has the world at his oyster. His wins put him on as good form as another fast-emerging MMA superstar Alex Pereira, and he is a legitimate shot-caller in the UFC. And so, after his win, he welcomed challenges from anyone, and everyone, including Volkanovski, who was in the Octagon and eager to continue his campaign for a rematch. He deserves that, at least, Topuria said.
“I’m going to get out of this cage and celebrate with my people,” he finished.
Max Holloway’s First Words After Suffering First Knockout Loss
‘He just landed a shot and I guess it hurt much more than I thought it did’
Holloway, in defeat, praised his conqueror Topuria. “We got ready for everything, he just landed a shot and I guess it hurt much more than I thought it did.”
“I felt great until he did it. That’s this sport.”
Holloway added: “Hats off to him, no excuses, I felt great, I had a great camp, no injuries. I came out and did my thing, he’s just a better man tonight. I’ll bounce back and we’ll see you again, my friend.”
Earlier in the UFC 308 show, Khamzat Chimaev dominated Robert Whittaker in a middleweight thriller, and Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov returned the best win of his pro career with a second-round finish over Armen Petrosyan.